Label-holder.



T. J; CLARKE. LABEL HOLDER. APPLIOATIONPILED Arms, 1012.

1,065,1 12, Patented June 17,1913.

UNTTE THOMAS JAMES CLARKE, 0F JAMESTOWN, NEVT YORK.

LABEL-HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THoMAs JAMES CLARKE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have i11- vented certain new and useful Improvements in Label-Holders, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The invention relates to cabinets or receptacles for labels such as are commonly used by druggists and others; and the object of the improvement is to provide a single or multiple compartment cabinet in which a supply of labels in each compartment are pressed against a roller at the front end and are also held in place by a springpressed top plate which permits the withdrawal of the labels one by one and the reloading of the compartment; and the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of the parts as shown in this specification and the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a multiple label cabinet. Fig. 2 is a. plan view of a portion of a drawer from the label cabinet, showing a plurality of compartments arranged therein side by side with the holding plates for the labels therein. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one of the compartments showing the arrangement of the top plate, roller and labels arranged therein. Fig. 4 is a lengthwise sectional view of one of the drawers at line X X in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the plunger for holding the labels in form; and Fig. 6 is an elevation of a washer for the rear end of the coil spring on the plunger rod and showing the plunger rod in dotted lines. Fig. 7 is a lengthwise sectional view of one of the drawers at line X X in Fig. 2, showing a modification of the preferred form of construction.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 10 designates the case or cabinet which is preferably made of sheet metal though any other suitable material might be used and not depart from my invention.

The numeral 11 designates the label holding compartments or receptacles in the case 10, which compartments are made according to the sizes desired for the different sized labels. Each compartment 11 is constructed with a front end opening 12; a partial clo- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 6, 1912.

Patented June 17, 1913.

Serial No. 688,848.

sure strip 13 being placed across the lower part of the front end and a roller 14 about midway of the height of the compartment, the labels 15 extending some distance above the roller 14, so that the upper edge of the label may be easily engaged by the finger in order to withdraw the first label.

The labels 15 are pressed against the front end 13 and roller 14 by means of a plunger or presser plate 16 which consists of a plate with a rod attached thereto and extending to the rearward thereof, a partition 17 being provided in the drawer of the case 10 at a spaced distance from the front end, preferably so as to permit about one thousand labels to be inserted in each coinpartment 11.

A coil spring 18 is provided on the rod of plunger 16 and rests against the plunger plate at one end, the other end rests against a washer 19 which is vertical on the side which receives the pressure of the spring 18 but on an incline or bevel on the other side. The washer 19 has an opening therethrough to receive the plunger rod.

In order to hold the labels 15 so that they can be withdrawn one by one, a rod 20 is inserted crosswise through the upper p0rtion of the compartment 11 above the labels 15, and where a plurality of compartments are placed side by side in a drawer as shown in Fig. 2, the rod 20 extends across the entire number of compartments. A plate 21 is pivotally mounted on rod 20 and extends forward over the top of the labels at a slight angle of inclination so that it rests upon the front labels. A finger hold opening 22 is provided in the front end of plate 21 so that the first label may be easily engaged by the finger and drawn forward in order to withdraw the same. The front end of plate 21 at each side of the finger hold opening 22 may be either straight or curved downwardly.

The rear end 23 of plate 21 extends downward at an angle and has an opening 24 therein through which the rod of plunger 16 works. The end 23 of plate 21 presses against the inclined side of washer 19, and when the labels 15 are inserted in compartment 11 the angle of the plate 21 is so adjusted that spring 18 presses the forward end of plate 21 against the top of the front labels and also presses against the plunger 16, thereby pressing the labels firmly against the front end 13 and roller 14.

Thus the spring 18 and pivotal plate 21 simultaneously press the rear and the top of the labels.

he strength of the spring 18 is so adjusted that the labels are held firmly in position, yet not so tightly but what the front label may be easily drawn forward by the finger from, beneath the front end of plate 21, and while the remainder of the labels are held, said front label may be withdrawn without in anywise displacing the remaining labels. This does not require a strong spring pressure and hence plate 21 may be easily raised, thereby permitting the front end of said plate 21 to be raised, as shown in dotted line in Fig. 4; for the insertion of more labels.

In order to raise the front end of plate 21 it is apparent that the height of the compartment 11 would have to be so great as to cause considerable lost space if the case 10 were made with fixed compartments. Accordingly, the horizontal rows of compartments as designated by the numeral 25 are preferably made in the form of drawers so that they may be withdrawn from the case 10 for filling the different compartments with labels or for adjusting the labels in any manner. The rod for the rollers 14; across the fronts of the different compartments in a drawer 25 may extend from end to end of the drawer through the several compartments, the rollers being made to rotate freely on the rod.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the plate 26 is hinged on rod 20 but does not have the angular downward extension 23, the spring 18 hearing directly against the partition 17. A spring 27 is provided on the rod 20 having a sufficient number of coils to give the proper amount of tension and h one end extending forward over the plate 526 and the other end hooking over the partition 17, the plate 26 extending forward and resting upon the front labels the same as plate 21. This modification would serve a fair purpose but not as good as applicants preferred form, as shown in Fig. l, for the reason that the spring 27 would have a uniform pressure and would not be balanced according to the number of labels in the holder.

It is apparent that when the full number of labels are placed in the holder the spring 18 will have a much stronger pressure than when the receptacle is nearly empty. lVhen so filled the large body of labels will permit a strong pressure on the front labels by plate 21, but when there are only a few labels in the receptacle and the spring 18 is elongated and therefore weak, the pres sure of the plate 21 should be correspondingly weakened in the preferred form of con struction wherein the spring 18 accomplishes both purposes, that is, the pressure on the plunger 16 and upon the plate 21. It is also obvious that said double pressure is balanced, for by this means the entire number of labels placed edgewise or vertically in the receptacle may be withdrawn. The pressure of the spring 27 in the modification being uniform would not be sufficiently strong to hold the labels in good form when a large number of the labels were in the receptacle and at the same time give the weaker pressure necessary when only a few labels remain in the receptacle.

All that is necessary to withdraw a label 15 from the receptacle is to draw the finger across the upper edges of the compressed front labels thereby withdrawing the edge of the first label from beneath the end of the plate 21 after which the label can be drawn forward freely over the roller 14 without displacement of the remaining labels in any way. If it is desired to withdraw more than one label the number of labels desired may be first bent forward over the roller 1 1- and withdrawn from beneath the plate 21 and over the roller l l the same as one label.

The roller 14-. is preferably placed a spaced distance from the upper edge of the partial closure strip 13 and is of sufficient size to extend within the receptacle and hold the labels 15 away from said partial closure strip 13. The roller must be smooth and is preferably made of drawn or seamless tubing. having the outer surface polished. The labels 15 are placed in the receptacle 11 with the printed or embossed side toward the roller. This is a necessity in order to show the name of the article on the label above the roller so as to show the kind of label. As the tightly pressed label is withdrawn over the roller, said roller prevents the mutilation of the printed or embossed side of the label and at the same time eases the frictional contact against the label so that said withdrawal is accomplished with ease and celerity. If a delicately printed or embossed. label is withdrawn over the edge or side of a rigid piece of metal the delicate embossing or lithographing ink is sure to be marred, thereby spoiling the label.

I claim as new 1. In a label holder, a receptacle having an opening at its front end, a stop at the lower end of the opening to engage the lower ends of the labels, a smooth roller rotatably carried by the receptacle and disposed above the upper end of the stop in spaced relation to the latter and located below the upper ends of the labels to allow s id upper ends of the labels to extend forwardly in a slightly curved plane, and means to force the labels against the stop and roller.

2. ln a label holder, a receptacle having a front opening, a stop adjacent said opening for the labels, feeding means in the rear of the labels engaging the latter, means to engage the tops of the frontlabels, and unitary resilient means to exert pressure simultaneously against both of said means.

8. A label holder comprising a receptacle having an opening in the front end for withdrawing the labels, a plunger to press the labels against said front end, a spring to actuate said plunger, and an angular plate hinged in said receptacle to hold said spring against said plunger and press said angular plate against the top of the front labels.

l. A label holder comprising a receptacle having an opening in the front end for withdrawing the labels, a roller revolubly mounted across said opening to aid in withdrawing the labels, a plunger to hold the labels against said front end and roller, an angular plate hinged in said receptacle above the labels and having one end extended forward and pressed against the top of the front labels and the other end extending down in the rear of the labels, and a spring between said plunger and downward extension of said angular plate to balance the action of the above parts.

5. A label holder comprising a receptacle having a partial closure of the front end to provide an opening for withdrawing the labels, a roller revolubly mounted across said opening, a. plunger to press the labels against said front end and roller, a vertical partition in said receptacle, a rod extending from said plunger through said partition to guide the same, an angular plate hinged in said receptacle above the labels having one end extending forward to press against the top of the front labels and the other end extending down behind the labels, said clownward end having an opening therethrough to receive said rod of said plunger, a beveled washer on said plunger rod, and a coil spring on said plunger between said washer and the plunger plate, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. A label cabinet comprising one or more drawers, each drawer containing a plurality of label holding receptacles or compartments, each receptacle having an opening at the front end, a roller mounted across each of said openings and forming one edge thereof, a pressure device in each of said receptacles to press the labels against each of said rollers, and means attached to said pressure device to hold against the top of the front labels in each receptacle.

7. A label cabinet comprising one or more drawers, partitions in said drawers to form a plurality of label holding receptacles or compartments, each of said compartments having a partial opening at the front end, a rod extending through said drawer across said partial openings in said compartments, a roller revolubly mounted on said rod across the under side of each of said partial openings to withdraw said labels over, a pressure device to press the labels in each compartment against said rollers, and a plate hinged in each receptacle extending forward at an incline to press against the top of the front labels.

8. A label cabinet comprising one or more drawers, a plurality of compartments in each drawer each having an opening at its front end, a rod extending through said compartments across said openings, a roller revolubly mounted on said rod across each of said openings to withdraw labels over, a rod extending through said compartments over said labels, and a plate hinged on said. rod to press against the top of the front labels to prevent the displacement of the labels while the front label is being withdrawn.

9. A label cabinet comprising one or more drawers, each drawer containing a plurality of label holding compartments, each compartment having an opening at its front end, a rod through said drawer across said openings in the front end of each compartment, a roller rotatably mounted on said rod in each compartment to draw the labels over, a second rod extending through the compartments in said drawer above the labels, an angular plate in each compartment hinged on said second rod, one end of said angular plate extending forward beyond said roller and pressing against the top of the front labels and the other end of said angular plate extending down in the rear of said labels, a plunger in each compartment to press the labels against each of said rollers having a rod extending rearward therefrom, and a spring on said rod between said plunger and the downward extension of said angular plate to balance the action of said plunger and said angular plate, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS JAMES CLARKE.

Witnesses H. U. HARRIS, M. D. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

